Errant hunting shot strikes pickup truck

CARIBOU – A father and son narrowly missed being shot Saturday morning when a bullet smashed through two rear side windows in their pickup truck. Neither were injured by the shot fired by a hunter who had spotted a deer along the Albair Road.

Caribou resident Mike Wilson and his 14-year-old son were described as “extremely shaken up” by the incident believed to be the first hunting accident of the 2006 deer hunting season, according to Caribou police Officer Nick Casavant.

Jesse Cote, 24, of Connor was charged with reckless conduct with a firearm, a Class E felony, and released on $10,000 surety bail, following the early morning incident.

“He [Cote] knew he shot towards the road,” Casavant said Sunday. “He never thought of the consequences.”

According to Casavant, the incident occurred when Cote, who was hunting with a couple of friends, spotted a buck along the Albair Road. The hunter took two shots at the deer, missing the first time and hitting the animal the second time. The deer took off from the scene. The hunter decided to go home and wait a while before going after the wounded deer.

Meanwhile Wilson, who was driving west on Albair Road when the bullet went through his truck, reported the incident to local police. Caribou police contacted the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife for assistance. A game warden plane was sent up to see if a hunting party could be spotted. Cote returned to the scene when he spotted the plane in the air, according to Casavant.

Casavant was assisted at the scene by other officers from Caribou, and two game wardens who arrived at the Albair Road site just after Cote had returned there.